Worst Traffic Lights In Shreveport-Bossier City — Rick’s Top 5

There are a number of intersections in Shreveport-Bossier City that, for one reason or another, are not driver-friendly, primarily because it seems the traffic lights are not timed properly to maintain optimal traffic flow from all directions. Many require an extreme amount of patience and for you NOT to be in a hurry to get through them.

Here is a list of the top 5 worst traffic lights that I believe are also quite annoying, and could certainly be made better for the driver:

5. Benton Road & Viking Drive, Bossier City, LA

Google Maps Streetview

This is a roadway that many a student, teacher and faculty member take to and from Airline High School, so without fail in the mornings and after school lets out, this intersection can be a nightmare. No matter the direction in these times, you should plan for a couple of turns of the light before you get to go through. If you’re coming off of I-220, or from the north into town heading south on Benton Road you will notice an extremely short turn arrow for turning left onto Viking Drive, and a lot of traffic coming toward you as you wait to turn. In busy times, getting to yield the right of way and go on a green light is very tough. If you are going to Willis-Knighton Bossier or to any business along Viking Drive, it’s typically better to use Airline Drive, even though it’s actually closer to the high school and can seem to be more congested; the traffic flow are better timed and traffic flow seems to be better managed with the traffic signals.

4. Mansfield Road & E. Bert Kouns Industrial Loop, Shreveport, LA

Google Maps Streetview

The stop lights in this southwest Shreveport intersection will have you pulling your hair out, at times. It’s a very spread out intersection and I am not sure it’s even possible to time the lights any better. But, the way it is now is not good. I’ve found that even if you have a green light when you come up to the intersection there will either be a slow poke in front of you, or you seem to have a wide opening to gas it through, just to have someone turning right on a red light cut you off. If you’re coming up to the intersection from the east, heading west, you will notice a stop sign about 50 feet before the actual intersection. As if this is not confusing enough, there is a frontage road to Mansfield that enters the main roadway at this point. There is a sign that says “Stop Here on Red,” but hardly anyone does. Most every driver I see plows through and goes up to the stop light as close as they can get, sometimes blocking the flow of traffic from the side street trying to get onto E. Bert Kouns. If you can take the Mansfield Road service road around this intersection to get to where you want to be, that is sometimes best. There’s a very ill-positioned Capital One Bank on this corner too, and each afternoon when traffic is heavier, a Shreveport Police Officer will be in the street directing those who want to turn out of the bank into lanes of travel; this is just prior to the side road.

These lights, regardless of which direction you’re travelling, will have you testing the brake pads on your vehicle, as well as your patience. With northern Bossier City on the grow, tons more vehicles use this path all hours of the day and night. It’s just a couple of blocks off I-20, there’s a popular mall here and lots of fast food and retail shopping complexes at this intersection. The lights are probably timed for traffic flow as best they can be, however with so many businesses in this one corridor, you will have drivers coming at you from every angle as you navigate through the intersection. It seems that there have been some adjustments made with the green arrows for left turns, each seems to last longer than I remember previously. But even with that, it seems I am never the one that quickly gets that arrow, it’s always the other drivers from other directions, so I am in a turn lane waiting to turn, for what seems like forever and a day. From each direction, if drivers are paying attention and ready to go when the green arrow pops up, approximately 5-8 cars can make it through the light before it turns red again. Maybe with the new ‘texting and driving’ law taking effect recently, drivers sitting there texting will cease; probably wishful thinking.

2. Airline Drive & Barksdale Boulevard, Bossier City, LA

Google Maps Streetview

As if the signal lights are not bad enough for drivers at this intersection, there is a frequently used railroad crossing here too. When on Airline headed toward the river, you can nearly count on a train at certain times throughout the day. When the train crossing bars come down, crossing Airline Drive is not an option and all lights turn red, except for those driving along Barksdale Boulevard, where they stay green, which is great for those using Barksdale Boulevard, but can make for quite a headache for those trying to turn onto or off of Barksdale Boulevard. The red lights are too long, the green lights too short and turn arrows are green then yellow before you know it. With Barksdale Air Force Base being positioned where it is, you don’t have a lot of options for not using this intersection if you need to get from north to south Bossier City. There’s also a very busy pottery store at this intersection, positioned just before the railroad tracks, and with traffic in and out of there and people waiting to turn into and out of this establishment – just makes for even more road rage and aggravation before you even get to the light.

1. Westport Avenue & Pines Road, Shreveport, LA

Google Maps Streetview

This far west Shreveport intersection is the worst, and not only because I wrecked my brand new Pontiac Trans Am in it when I was a teenager either. It’s even worse now than it was then, and that’s when Wal Mart was in the Huntington Park Shopping Center and didn’t yet sell groceries. If you’re turning right from any direction its tolerable, however if you are making a left turn you should plan on sitting through at least two turns of the light, regardless of your direction of travel. There are twists and turns on Westport Avenue as you approach Pines Road, and in dealing with that there are two turn lanes onto Pines Road, but for some reason there’s always a line of cars that all want to be in just one of them. Which seems fine, but if you’re approaching the intersection it is extremely difficult with vehicles coming at you from Wal Mart, and dealing with drivers unfamiliar with the area trying to navigate the twisty roadway. Turning left onto Pines from Westport, there’s a green arrow that comes up for approximately 8 seconds, allowing 3-5 cars through. Oftentimes, with two lanes turning onto Pines, and inattentive drivers on the road, just 2-3 cars may get though from each lane on a green arrow. When this happens, you may as well put it in park; you have at least 2 more minutes of sitting there, that’s assuming you make the next turn arrow. The lights seem appropriately timed though for travel along Pines Road, and appear even timed well with the lights of those exiting interstate and on the overpass. Klug Pines Road is a small residential street that runs from Westport Avenue to West 70th Street; this is a good option for those who want to avoid the intersection of Westport Avenue and Pines Road. Even with a 25 mph speed limit, it still can be time-saving if you are headed away from the interstate.

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